Current methods of transporting or projecting material, particularly non-solid material, typically include applying a force by pressurizing the material and projecting it toward a desired location. Such material is frequently transported directly through the air or a pipeline, although the material may occasionally be transported through other environments including, but not limited to, solid (but penetrable) matter or a vacuum. One problem with transporting material in this manner is the inability to control the dimensional stability of the material while it is en route to its destination. Another problem is that the surrounding environment may contaminate the material or impart forces such as friction to the material which tend to dissipate the material or hinder its progress.
These problems may be illustrated by a fire nozzle which must project a water stream through the air to a fire scene. As the water stream leaves the nozzle, it is under pressure and exerts some component of force in all directions. The pressurized water stream tends to expand radially and dissipate since no confining force exists to hold the water stream together. The dissipation of the unconfined water stream may prevent the stream from reaching its intended destination. If the distance covered by the water stream along its trajectory is found to be inadequate, it cannot be significantly increased by simply increasing the pressure force at the nozzle, as this force cannot be fully transmitted through the unconfined water stream. Additionally, control of the water stream that has already left the nozzle is not possible because forces applied at the nozzle cannot be transmitted through the unconfined stream.
In summary, the trajectory of an unconfined water stream is determined solely by the inertia imparted to the water at the nozzle. No forces applied at the point of projection can be transferred through the unconfined water stream to alter the trajectory of the stream. Furthermore, an unconfined water stream is subject to dissipation due to internal forces, and to friction and contamination from the environment through which it is transported.
Although a fire nozzle and a water stream have been used to illustrate several problems of conventional material transfer, any transportable material (e.g. liquids, gases, slurries, granular solids, etc.) may react unfavorably with the environment through which it passes. Even if a material stream is transported through a vacuum, it will tend to dissipate due to the unconfined internal pressure within the stream.
Some of these problems may be addressed by transporting a material stream through a pipeline. A pipeline prevents a pressurized stream from dissipating and can prevent the environment outside the pipeline from contaminating the material. Additionally, there is usually no need to alter the direction of a material transported within a fixed pipeline. However, material transported within a pipeline is subject to frictional forces and consequent turbulence due to contact with the inside of the pipe wall. Friction reduces the velocity of the material to zero at the pipe wall, thereby reducing the flow of material through the pipeline, and heats both the transported material and the pipeline itself. Thus, pumping energy must be increased (by an amount equal to the energy lost to friction) to maintain the flow through the pipeline. Furthermore, pipelines are typically immobile and often require lengthy construction periods, thus making pipelines an impractical solution for short term material transfer.
It is against this background that significant improvements and advancements have evolved in the field of material transport.